Damien wasn't surprised by her outburst. Honestly, from the moment he saw the video, he knew his cousin had done this to infuriate Bella. "I'm guessing he already knows about your recovery.""It's one thing knowing about my recovery, but why the hell would he make everyone think I've gone crazy?!""Because he knows it's only a matter of time before you file for a divorce. If he manages to convince the world that you're losing your mind, no one will take you seriously.""But why? Why is he so reluctant to let me go?"Damien had no answer to that. To him, Vaughn was a madman. Aside from being ruthless, he was also extremely unpredictable. People like him were the most dangerous. "Calm down. Don’t do anything hasty. We'll talk in school tomorrow."Bella doubted Vaughn would let her go back. She kept her dark thoughts at bay, not wanting to make Damien worry. Staying home alone was suffocating. Even the maids treated her like she didn’t exist. She glanced through the window from time to t
Vaughn was apologizing?Never in a million years would Bella have thought that her egotistical husband would one day apologize to her—and so sincerely, too. She looked at him intently, studying his face to gauge for any mockery or amusement. There was none. He wasn’t playing a prank on her.Okay, but what did he think an apology was going to accomplish at this point? Bella doubted she’d ever forgive him. Even if, by some miracle, she did, she’d never stop hating him, loathing him.“Can I go back now?” she asked, feeling rather impatient. She had waited all day for his return, just so she could go far away from here.Vaughn hummed. “Go pack your stuff. I’ll drive you to the airport.” He watched his wife hurry upstairs to bring her things. So eager to get away from him. He laughed with some bitterness. “As expected. Even if I change, it won’t make a difference. You’re so eager to leave.”Fine then, I’ll just have to monopolize you, own you, tie you up if I have to. I won’t let you leave
Bella, under the intense gaze of everyone else in the class, went to sit in the front row. She didn't expect, however, that Ethan Walker would ignore the rest of the class and pursue a conversation with her. He asked her questions like how her day was going, where she lived (which was a bit weird), her favorite food, and her marital status.Bella couldn't answer most of the questions due to how stunned she was. She was almost tempted to ask the man what he was trying to accomplish by asking her these odd questions. They didn't know each other at all; even in the business world, he and her husband weren't close partners. So why the sudden attention?She wasn't the only one stunned by Ethan's behavior. People whispered to themselves, "Who is she?" "How does she know Mr. Walker?" "Now that I think about it, she looks a bit familiar, doesn't she..."Bella lowered her face to hide her dark expression. She'd done a good job of blending into the background and not getting recognized by her
"The Number You Have Dialed Is Currently Switched Off..."Bella is greeted by the mechanical voice for the hundredth time that day—at least it feels like the hundredth to her. She thinks to herself that her mother was just like the Avatar: when you needed her the most, she vanished.It was ironic that the person she wanted to talk to the most at the moment wasn't even her biological parent. Still, years of maternal love couldn't simply be washed away so easily. Even though she felt that the woman had betrayed her by turning her back on her in Bella's time of need, Mirabel Page hadn't always been this selfish. She had cared about Bella sincerely in the past. Bella would give almost anything to turn back the hands of time, to return to her childhood when her parents had been loving, and everything had been so easy.To be the missing daughter of the Walker family—the most powerful individuals in Asia—would seem like a dream come true to most people. But Bella wasn't most people. She had
Bella wasn’t the only one caught off guard by Dylan’s bold claim. Eric, too, seemed momentarily thrown. But as he studied Bella’s expression, he decided that Dylan’s words were probably untrue.“I understand,” Eric said quietly. “I never imagined Mrs. McCoy would be that kind of person.”Bella’s eyes flared with anger. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” she snapped. So, Vaughn could have as many lovers as he pleased, but she was supposed to sit quietly and suffer? Absurd. If she were truly as scandalous as people might think, she’d have a long list of lovers by now. Denying Dylan’s claim seemed pointless. If Eric wanted to believe she had a lover, so be it.“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Eric said, his tone neutral.“Dr. Miller…” Bella began.“Please, call me Eric.”“Right, Eric,” she replied with a sigh. “I’m really not in the mood for this right now. Maybe another time.”“I understand,” he said, rising smoothly from his seat. With a small, polite smile, he wished her goodnight and ex
"I know I should have told you this before, but I was afraid of being turned down," Damien said, holding Bella closely, the words he had left unsaid now spoken. The woman went slack in his arms, too stunned by the confession to struggle further."You... Do you mean that? You love me?" she asked, her voice trembling."Of course I do. I never stopped.""But I... I was so mean to you back then. You were trying to help me, but I cut ties with you, all for Vaughn." Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of all she had sacrificed—her husband, friends, family. She cared about Damien immensely but never dared to hope that he might still have feelings for her.Bella turned in Damien's arms and buried her face in his chest. "I love you, Damien. I'm sorry I didn’t realize it sooner.""That's fine, Bell. I'm just happy to have you back, safe and sound. I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to set you free.""Okay.""Let's go back to your place first. I think..."Bella heard the click o
This idiot has completely lost his mind. Asking a married woman to be yours—what kind of scandalous hobby was that? Bella was so angry that she considered headbutting Eric just to see if he would pass out from the impact. What a fragile son of a bitch!"I am married!!""It didn't stop you from sleeping with another man, did it?"Bella's mouth fell open. How the fuck would Eric know this? Does that mean Vaughn already knows as well? Oh God, it wasn't a trending topic on social media, was it?! She could already imagine the headlines. No, she would have been swarmed by paparazzi the moment she got out of her house if that was the case.Eric was still looking at her, closely taking in her features. The pouty lips, large doe eyes, and smooth skin—not bad at all."Do not worry; I might be the only one who knows, and your secret will be safe with me, unless... well, you know the rest.""Are you threatening me, Mr. Winter?""Yes. Do you like Chinese food? There's a restaurant close by; we can
She opened her mouth to respond, but Dylan sealed her lips with his. The kiss was surprisingly soft. Just a simple brush of lips, but the sensation of a wet tongue sliding across her bottom lip was enough to make her shiver. Bella pushed Dylan away fiercely.The man was a wall of muscles—not the sort of overpowering build that could be overwhelming, but he had a good build, a sign of constant workouts. Just now, when her hand brushed his chest, she felt the warm skin beneath. Though her strength wasn't nearly enough to push Dylan, he was kind enough to stumble back, more to give her some space than due to the shoving."I am not that kind of person!" She found herself clarifying this fact over and over again. Just earlier, Eric had propositioned her, and now Dylan was doing the same. What they had in common was that they were both using her to get back at Vaughn. This was just a game to them.But this was Bella's goddamn life they were playing with! Yes, she was married to possibly the
Bella was thrown roughly into the backseat of a Jeep. A piece of cloth had been stuffed into her mouth while in the elevator. Strangely enough, nobody made a move to rescue her as she was taken out of the hotel.They drove for two hours straight, and Bella counted down every agonizing minute. The Jeep pulled up in front of a Japanese-style villa. She was brought to her feet and led forward. The house had few furnishings, mostly carved from expensive wood. Instead of chairs, they had stools and low tables. Bella hardly had time to admire the decor before she was shoved in front of a door.Akira whispered to her in a low tone, "If you want to get through this with your limbs intact, you better behave. Speak only when spoken to."This guy clearly wasn't joking. Feeling afraid for her limbs, Bella obediently kept quiet even as the gag was taken out of her mouth.Three men dressed in black kimonos with dragon patterns approached. Akira bowed to one of them and whispered something in Japane
"So, what you're telling me is, your life is currently in grave danger, and Eric is responsible?"Bella was certain she hadn't explicitly blamed Eric for what happened, though it was indeed his fault. Vaughn had always been hateful toward the other billionaire. They shared a mutual dislike and found any reason to go at each other's throats. She couldn’t be bothered with it. "Tell Silas about it. He’ll come get me.""I can come get you. I’ll have the jet ready—it’ll only be a few hours.""Vaughn, for the last time, I don’t want you here! Stay away!""Then why did you call me if you—""Are you stupid?! I already said I don’t know any other number except yours. I left my phone back at my place, so I have no means of reaching out to Silas by myself. Do me one favor: tell Silas about it. I’ll repay you."Bella was almost certain Vaughn was rolling his eyes at her words. He was always dismissive of her like this, and it pissed her off to no end. Honestly, she’d planned to never have anythin
Bella woke up in a boat—a goddamn boat! She stared at the water below in astonishment. Eric, who was propelling the boat toward the island already coming into view, took notice of her."Finally awake?""What the fuck?!""Wow, very classy.""You!... Where the hell are you taking me?! What's going on?!""See that island over there? It's mine. We'll be spending a few days there, at least until my men take care of this whole mess."By "mess," he probably meant the men who had been trying to kill him—a deadly situation Eric had successfully managed to drag her into. The whole thing was unbelievable. To think she had come to Tokyo to enjoy some peace and quiet, an escape from her once dramatic life. The last thing she'd expected was to encounter Eric here, let alone have him drag her along to some stupid island without her permission."Who told you to do this?! Why didn't you drop me off at a police station?"Eric scoffed, thinking to himself that this woman was not as smart as he had given
Bella was uncertain at first, but by the second day, she was actually excited about being in Tokyo. The people were friendly, already used to seeing tourists around, so she didn’t get any stares or rude comments. The language barrier was the only hitch, but Bella wasn’t that social anyway. She was just here for the fun of it.For the first time in weeks, she actually felt relaxed. Knowing she was far away from her past, even if only for a few weeks, made her feel at ease. She had rented an apartment in a nice neighborhood. She’d had to deposit rent for three months, but with some consideration, she might just settle here for a longer period than she’d initially thought. She was certain Ethan Walker wouldn’t mind, and even if he did, it wasn’t like Bella owed him much. She was now a free woman and could do whatever she wanted.Freedom came with eating whatever she wanted to her heart’s content. She no longer had the nagging fear of what Vaughn might think of her figure if she started g
The big day finally came. The whole city was shaken by it. All TV channels and media outlets were lined up outside the courtroom, all eager to be the first to broadcast the biggest breakup of the year. If only they could interview the couple and get some juicy inside details—it would be even better. But, funny enough, Vaughn didn't even show up in court. He had his lawyers handle the case, and they were willing to give Bella whatever assets she might ask for. Millions of dollars were set out in the open for her taking. And Bella thought it was just Vaughn's last means of mocking her. Even at a time like this, he was showing his good side for the world to see. Clearly, she was the one who filed for the divorce, and Vaughn, being the kind and benevolent husband he was, seemed willing to give her whatever she desired. Truly, she appeared like a true gold digger in court. This was one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. The case was finalized within an hour, and their marri
Jessica's life had never been more challenging than it was at this moment. Don’t get her wrong; she’d always wanted her sister to get divorced, but what’s the point of that anymore when Vaughn didn’t even give her a second look? She’d never seen the man so obsessed before.The news of the divorce had taken the world by storm. Many people were in disbelief as Vaughn and Bella were viewed as the perfect couple. They’d been seen together acting all loved-up, and now they were separating?While Bella seemed to have disappeared completely from the public eye, Vaughn, unfortunately, was left to deal with the aftermath of the divorce. The paparazzi followed him like a second shadow. The blinding flash of their cameras and the inappropriate questions they threw at him pissed him off to no end. At this point, he might just work directly from home.But even while at home, there were still some people who came to bother him from time to time. Damien blamed him for his split with Bella, like Vaug
Bella met with the lawyer the next day. He was a middle-aged man who had been working with the Walker family for almost a decade. According to Ethan, he was one of the best lawyers money could buy."Ms. Page, you need to understand, if you insist on not filing for domestic violence, you'll likely end up with very little after the divorce. Your husband has such a good reputation in the public eye. Also, since you filed for the divorce, he has more advantage in this case.""It doesn't matter. I didn’t want anything to begin with. I want a smooth parting if that's possible."The man hummed in understanding. "We'll still have to meet up with your husband's lawyer. Your husband has asked that you speak to him in person.""Fine. Where?" Vaughn was probably going to try to convince her not to go through with the divorce. However, her mind was made up. If he came all the way to China for that, then she'd like to see the disappointment on his face when she rejected him. Also, she had some thin
Her words didn't garner the reaction she had been expecting. Her father and brother looked like they had anticipated her saying this."I have a lawyer ready. In two days, all arrangements to go to court will be concluded," Ethan said, assuring his daughter with a soft smile.He was usually a detached person who rarely showed such emotions. Ever since the tragedy years ago, he’d felt as though he had lost his reason to wake up every day with a smile. But now, with his daughter back, he vowed to honor his deceased wife by being a good and supportive father.Bella was surprised. She hadn’t expected Ethan to have already found a lawyer for her. She wondered if Damien had told him about the divorce earlier. Either way, she still felt uneasy about having to ask for their help.“I… thank you. You didn’t have to do this for me, but I’m grateful.”“This is what we must do. You are the daughter of the Walker family, and nobody is allowed to get away with bullying you.”“We’ll easily amass half
Bella's mouth fell open. She wanted to curse but couldn’t find it in her to utter even a single word. She felt completely drained. Jess took her silence as submission, and with one last hateful glare, she stormed out of the house, slamming the door hard behind her.Bella slowly rose to her feet and walked to her bedroom to strip off her clothes. Mindlessly, she walked into the bathroom to shower. Even the hot water didn’t manage to calm her down. Today was turning out to be one of the worst days of her life, and that was saying a lot, considering she had had a lot of bad luck in the past few years.She didn’t sleep a wink that night. Whenever she closed her eyes, even for a moment, her mind quickly flashed back to Damien and the conversation they’d had earlier. Bella wasn’t frightened by Jessica’s threat. At this point, she didn’t think her life could get any worse. But the fact that the woman was pregnant couldn’t be ignored. And Damien had so ruthlessly lied to her face for weeks. T